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Countdown to Daytona
Daytona Countdown: '94
Marlin out-gases competition; Friends begins network run
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
Sterling Marlin broke the family's 0-for-443 winless streak in a big way in the 36th Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 1994. Running 59 laps on his final tank of fuel, Marlin had just enough left to outlast the competition for his first win.
A 1994 Chevrolet Beretta Z26 two-door coupe cost $15,310. With his winnings of $258,275, Marlin could have purchased 16 Berettas.
ALSO IN 1994 ...
• The first trial of accused murderer Lyle Menendez ends in a mistrial. He and his brother Erik are later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole (Jan. 28)
• Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers (Feb. 5)
• A photo by Marmaduke Wetherell, previously touted as 'proof' of the Loch Ness monster, is confirmed to be a hoax (March 12)
• Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, is found dead in Seattle, Washington. He had committed suicide three days earlier. (April 8)
• The Channel Tunnel, which took 15,000 workers over seven years to complete, opens between England and France. Travelers can now travel between the two countries in 35 minutes. (May 6)
Courtesy: Wikipedia
The United States population was estimated to be 260 million on July 1, with 4,877,000 of those living in Tennessee. Marlin could have given nearly 1 in every 10 Americans a penny from his first-place prize money, or about five cents to each Tennessee resident.
The orange and white checkerboard end zones returned to Tennessee's Neyland Stadium when it was converted back to natural grass in 1994. Tennessee beat Virginia Tech 45-23 in the 1994 Gator Bowl.
If Marlin had wanted to drive from his hometown of Columbia, Tenn., to Jacksonville, Fla., to watch the Vols win, the 609-mile trip would have taken about 10 hours in the Beretta -- or three hours and 53 minutes at Marlin's race-winning speed of 156.931 mph.
Unusual trials were the order of the day in 1994.
The biggest was the result of the June 12 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles. Five days later, a White Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings, with former NFL star O.J. Simpson as a passenger, led police on a low-speed chase to Simpson's Brentwood mansion, where Simpson surrendered.
The jury to hear the Simpson case was selected on Nov. 3, two months after prosecutors announced they would seek a sentence of life without parole rather than the death penalty. Despite a mountain of evidence which pointed to his involvement in the murders, the jury of eight blacks, one Hispanic, one white and two people of mixed race found Simpson not guilty on Oct. 3, 1995.
A 1994 Ford Bronco XLT two-door sport utility retailed for $23,965. The 1994 Ford Bronco was included in a 884,400-vehicle recall to repair faulty emergency parking brakes.
On Jan. 6, Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the right leg with a crowbar during the U.S. National skating championships in Detroit. One month later, Jeff Gillooly -- ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding -- accepted a plea bargain in exchange for testifying against Harding. In March, Harding pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for trying to cover up the attack. She was fined $100,000 and banned from the sport.
Convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was clubbed to death by a deranged inmate in a Wisconsin prison gymnasium on Nov. 28.
On Jan. 10, Lorena Bobbitt went on trial for cutting off the private parts of her husband John during a family dispute. Eleven days later, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. John Bobbitt, who had surgery to reattach what had been cut off, starred in two pornographic films to help pay for the operation, became a minister in Las Vegas and was arrested by Las Vegas police seven times between 1994 and 2002.
After winning a lawsuit against The Citadel, Shannon Faulkner enrolled as the school's first female cadet on Jan. 20. She lasted a week, citing exhaustion and allegations of abuse.
On Feb. 22, Aldrich Ames and his wife were charged with spying for the Soviet Union. Ames was convicted to life imprisonment, while his wife received a five-year sentence.
Francisco Martin Duran was convicted of trying to kill President Bill Clinton when he fired more than two dozen bullets at the White House in October.
Friends debuted on network television in 1994.
On Jan. 17, the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake crunched apartments and homes in California's San Fernando Valley. Edvard Munch's painting, "The Scream", was stolen from Oslo, Norway, on Feb. 12. It was recovered May 7. It takes 2,633,000 pounds of peanuts and 3,478,000 pounds of popcorn to make a year's supply of Crunch 'N Munch.
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Quote's of the Week
“One of the reasons for my stepping out of the Cup series at this time is because I was never really convinced, deep down inside, that I was all that good. I think I’ve fooled a lot of people for a long, long time, and I don’t want to take a chance on getting caught up in something where everybody figures out that I was a sham and I really wasn’t as good as the results I got.”
— Painfully modest Mark Martin, announcing he will retire, at least on a full-time basis, at the end of the 2005 season.
"I ran 19 years to win my first million dollars. Now they pay these drivers a million dollars just to walk from the bathroom to the car, OK? So from that standpoint, it looks to me like you ought to look after yourselves, OK?"
-Richard Petty, on whether NASCAR should offer driver pensions
"They named a highway in Junior Johnson's honor in Wilkes County, N.C. I told him that they should have named that highway after me as many times as he told me to hit it."
-Darrell Waltrip refferring to his former team owner
Mark is the essential ingredient that built Roush Racing. To look at Mark and see what he's done. He's a true competitor. He inspires us to look at him and want to be like him."
-Kurt Busch speaking about teammate Mark Martin
“One of the reasons for my stepping out of the Cup series at this time is because I was never really convinced, deep down inside, that I was all that good. I think I’ve fooled a lot of people for a long, long time, and I don’t want to take a chance on getting caught up in something where everybody figures out that I was a sham and I really wasn’t as good as the results I got.”
— Painfully modest Mark Martin, announcing he will retire, at least on a full-time basis, at the end of the 2005 season.
"I ran 19 years to win my first million dollars. Now they pay these drivers a million dollars just to walk from the bathroom to the car, OK? So from that standpoint, it looks to me like you ought to look after yourselves, OK?"
-Richard Petty, on whether NASCAR should offer driver pensions
"They named a highway in Junior Johnson's honor in Wilkes County, N.C. I told him that they should have named that highway after me as many times as he told me to hit it."
-Darrell Waltrip refferring to his former team owner
Mark is the essential ingredient that built Roush Racing. To look at Mark and see what he's done. He's a true competitor. He inspires us to look at him and want to be like him."
-Kurt Busch speaking about teammate Mark Martin
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Bits and Pieces
McConaughey named Daytona 500 grand marshal: Matthew McConaughey was selected the Grand Marshal for the Daytona 500. The actor will give the command "Drivers, start your engines" at the Feb. 20 race in Florida, NASCAR announced Monday. "I'm honored and excited to be the Grand Marshal of this year's race," McConaughey said in a statement. "There is nothing more American than NASCAR and the Daytona 500. McConaughey, who has starred in films including "Dazed and Confused" and "The Wedding Planner," will star in the upcoming thriller "Sahara." - AP/FOXSports
McConaughey named Daytona 500 grand marshal: Matthew McConaughey was selected the Grand Marshal for the Daytona 500. The actor will give the command "Drivers, start your engines" at the Feb. 20 race in Florida, NASCAR announced Monday. "I'm honored and excited to be the Grand Marshal of this year's race," McConaughey said in a statement. "There is nothing more American than NASCAR and the Daytona 500. McConaughey, who has starred in films including "Dazed and Confused" and "The Wedding Planner," will star in the upcoming thriller "Sahara." - AP/FOXSports
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MEXICO RACE GETS TITLE NASCAR is now calling the March 6 Busch Series race in Mexico City the Telcel Motorola 200 presented by Banamex.
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Daytona 500 Purse Exceeds $17 Million: The 47th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20, NASCAR's biggest and most prestigious event of the year, will carry the biggest purse in the history of stock car racing at more than $17 million. The post awards for the "The Great American Race" on Sunday, Feb. 20 will be $17,623,980, an increase of nearly $2 million. The posted awards for the 2004 Daytona 500, which was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr., was $15,972,313. The winner of this year's Daytona 500 will collect a minimum of $1,430,030. The second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishers in the Daytona 500 will receive a minimum of $1,029,425, $736,625, $584,750 and $456,875 respectively. Even the last-place finisher in the Daytona 500 will be rewarded with a minimum of $219,931. "The Daytona 500 is without doubt NASCAR's signature event and the 43-car field in this year's event will be paid handsomely for their efforts," Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. Other purses for Speedweeks 2005 events are:
Advance Discount Auto Parts 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race: $305,507
Budweiser Shootout: $1,087,300
Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race: $807,103
Hershey's Take 5 300 NASCAR Busch Series race: $2,409,495
Tickets to any of the Speedweeks 2005 events are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. - DIS PR
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The Bud Shootout and the Daytona 500 winners: Five times has the winner of the Budweiser Shootout gone on to win the Daytona 500 the following week: Dale Jarrett (2000 and 1996), Jeff Gordon (1997), Bill Elliott (1987), and Bobby Allison (1982). Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished second in the 2004 Budweiser Shootout, won the Daytona 500 the following week.(Bud Shootout site/PR)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
No Shootout...but still won: Since 1979, seven drivers have won the Daytona 500 who did not compete in the Budweiser Shootout the week before: Michael Waltrip (2001, 2003), Ward Burton (2002), Dale Earnhardt (1998), Sterling Marlin (1994), Dale Jarrett (1993), Derrike Cope (1990) and Richard Petty (1979). Drivers who did not compete in the Bud Shootout the week before won three of the last four Daytona 500s. (Michael Waltrip in 2001 and 2003 and Ward Burton in 2002).(Bud Shootout site/PR)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
iN DEMAND Networks and NASCAR Announce 2005 Season of 'NASCAR IN CAR' - Emmy® Award-Winning Sports Package Begins Third Season Available Only on Digital Cable Free Preview During Daytona 500, February 20: iN DEMAND Networks and NASCAR Digital Entertainment (NDE) today announced the 2005 season premiere of NASCAR IN CAR, television's first enhanced multi-channel digital sports package. The third full season begins with a free preview of the Daytona 500, which airs on FOX at 1:00 PM ET, on Sunday, February 20, 2005. NASCAR IN CAR offers subscribers the chance to be in the passenger seat during every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race. The Emmy® Award-winning package has received widespread recognition for its innovative and groundbreaking technology. Available only on digital cable, NASCAR IN CAR allows fans to switch from car to car with their digital cable remote and add more choice and control to their viewing experience. NASCAR IN CAR offers seven channels of flag-to-flag in-car camera coverage featuring live team audio communications and real-time in-car data displayed on virtual dashboards. The package features three cameras in each of the seven cars -- one facing out the front of the car, one facing out the rear and one inside the car capable of rotating 360 degrees. The full season subscription features all 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points races for a suggested retail price of $99. Customers who order by February 27 will save $20 and receive the package for an early-bird price of $79. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
McMurray to run Mexico: Jamie McMurray will be driving a #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge entry [owned by Chip Ganassi] in the Mexico City Busch race.(JamieMcMurray.com via BGNRacing.com)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sterling Marlin to film PSA's for responsible drinkingSterling Marlin, two-time Daytona 500 champion, recently teamed with the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) to produce television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) that encourage race fans to drink responsibly and never drive drunk.
The PSAs featuring Marlin are being distributed to media outlets nationwide just in time for the start of the 2005 NASCAR season. The spots are part of an ongoing alcohol awareness campaign by NBWA featuring sports celebrities, elected officials and entertainment figures.
Marlin encourages all racing fans to do their part by drinking responsibly and obeying the law. "I know that many of our fans like to enjoy a cold beer while they're watching the race. And that's okay if you're 21," said Marlin. "But if you choose to drink, should do so responsibly, and never drive drunk. We must all do our part to keep our roads safe."
"Teaming with an auto racing icon to spread the word about responsible, safe and legal beer consumption will undeniably resonate with NASCAR fans and millions of racing enthusiasts across the nation," said NBWA President David Rehr. "We are excited to have support from a respected individual such as Sterling Marlin to help educate the public about the dangers of alcohol abuse and drunk driving."
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Martinsville Adds More Free Parking For Advance Auto Parts 500: Martinsville Speedway will open three new parking areas for this spring's Advance Auto Parts 500 weekend, adding about 20 acres of free parking within easy walking distance of the track. "We are constantly looking to expand our free parking areas and were fortunate enough to get these three areas," said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. "We've always prided ourselves on having plenty of free parking and we're striving to continue that." The new parking areas will serve west-bound traffic off of the U.S. 58 bypass. Fans who park in the new areas will be able to access the track via pedestrian walkway through the Tom Johnson Campground.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Testing at Talladega: The first events of the season for NASCAR's top three series as well as the ARCA RE/MAX Series are less than two weeks away, and teams representing all four of the series were on hand Saturday and Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway making final preparations. Among teams testing over the weekend were Ken Schrader Racing's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series #52 team, three NASCAR Busch Series teams including Sadler Racing's #95, GIC-Mixon's #24 with driver Kim Crosby, and Day Enterprises' #16 with driver John Hayden, the #66 Peak Performance NEXTEL Cup Series team with driver Hermie Sadler, the NEXTEL Cup Series #00 [Waltrip] team with test driver Hank Parker, Jr., the #32 PPI Motorsports Tide Chevrolet with Bobby Hamilton Jr. and two ARCA RE/MAX Series teams - the Day Enterprises #6 with driver Justin Ashburn and the RSR #00 with driver Ed Kennedy. Also in the mix Saturday was 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Bobby Hamilton, who was on hand to assist Nashville-based Sadler Racing [Busch car]. Tickets to the Aaron's Dream Weekend April 28 - May 1 featuring the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Busch Series race on April 30 and the Aaron's 499 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race on May 1 are available by calling the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office at 1-877-Go2-DEGA (1-877-462-3342) or online at talladegasuperspeedway.com.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mississippi state senate passes "Dale Earnhardt bill"The Mississippi state Senate passed a bill yesterday to ban the publication of autopsy or crime-scene photos on the Internet and elsewhere.
Judiciary B Chairman Gray Tollison, D-Oxford said the bill was requested by the attorney general's office.
He said the legislation is called the Dale Earnhardt bill because after the NASCAR driver was killed in a crash in Florida, his autopsy photos appeared on the Internet.
Autopsy photos were once available to the public in Florida, but the Legislature there made autopsy photos confidential in 2001 after Earnhardt's widow sought help in keeping the pictures private. Several newspapers had tried to obtain copies of the photos after questions arose about whether better safety equipment might have saved the driver's life.
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NASCAR Icon Jeff Gordon Named TAG Heuer Brand Ambassador - Jeff Gordon Portrayed by Demarchelier in the 'What Are You Made Of' TAG Heuer Advertising Campaign Fusing Sport and Glamour: TAG Heuer, the LVMH (Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton) prestigious watchmaking company, announces NASCAR icon Jeff Gordon as its new brand ambassador with an active role in new product development, advertising, public relations and visual marketing. Gordon will be portrayed by world-renowned fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier in the TAG Heuer "What Are You Made Of?" advertising campaign. He joins the ranks of other TAG Heuer brand ambassadors, including film superstar Uma Thurman, golfing champion Tiger Woods, Wimbledon tennis champion Maria Sharapova, and Formula 1 race car driver Juan-Pablo Montoya. "With NASCAR being the second largest and fastest growing sport in America, followed by 75 million fans, Jeff Gordon makes the perfect brand ambassador for TAG Heuer," says Daniel Lalonde, TAG Heuer NA President and CEO. "Jeff Gordon, the most renowned race car driver in the United States, is a great addition to our exceptional roster of brand ambassadors, who have shown extraordinary character, talent and ability in being the best in their fields." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kids NASCAR Furniture: Lexington Home Brands and O’Sullivan have teamed up to create a ready-to-assemble NASCAR youth furniture group, with a big-box retailer now testing three pieces at select stores. If the test goes well, more of the chain’s stores will carry the group and other retailers will have a chance to stock it, said Jim Myers, Lexington’s vice president of product development. Myers is a friend of stock car driver Bobby Labonte, who called one day to talk about a possible Labonte youth group. They pursued the necessary licenses. Labonte’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart, joined the effort, as did Labonte’s brother, Terry, also a racer. Drivers Jeff Gordon and Elliot Sadler were added later. Lexington contacted O’Sullivan, which had been doing suite-in-a-box furniture. Lexington provided the licensing and design and O’Sullivan handled the manufacturing of a twin bed, nightstand and five-drawer chest to retail for $189. Decals for all five NASCAR drivers are included in the box. Lexington and O’Sullivan are working to add a small bench to the group, to go at the footboard or elsewhere in the room.(kidstodayonline.com)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Phoenix changes race weekend schedulePhoenix International Raceway has agreed to a plan proposed by NASCAR to improve its April NASCAR practice and qualifying schedule, plus run all three events that weekend – NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series, NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series -- under the newly installed lights.
Under new rules changes mandated by NASCAR, each series will be limited to only one practice session, which will take place before qualifying. After qualifying, the cars will be impounded until race time.
The revised schedule will call for all three series to practice on Thursday, April 21. The NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series will also qualify that afternoon, then race beginning at 8 p.m. The NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will qualify on Friday, April 22. The Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 will take the green flag later that evening (6 p.m.). The SUBWAY Fresh 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race will start around 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 23.
"I think the change in the schedule makes for a better event weekend," said PIR President Bryan R. Sperber. "We will now be able to present Nextel Cup activity, be it practice, qualifying or the race itself, on all three days of the event weekend. I know our fans will enjoy the action packed nature of our new schedule."
As of now, it appears that the November quadruple header weekend November 10-13, which includes a NASCAR Elite Division, Southwest Series race, the Chevy Silverado 150 NASCAR Truck Series race, a NASCAR Busch Series race and the Checker Auto Parts 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race, will remain a four races in four days. Starting times for these events will be announced officially later.
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KURT BUSCH MEETING PRESIDENT Reigning Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch was scheduled to meet briefly with President George Bush this afternoon for a photo opportunity at the White House, The Washington Post reports. Other members of Busch's Roush Racing team were scheduled to be on hand.
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Shelmerdine Racing auctions UPDATE assoc. sponsor for Daytona: Kirk Shelmerdine/Shelmerdine Racing auctions: In support of small independent businesses, Kirk Shelmerdine Racing has taken an innovate marketing approach and has opened up bids on Ebay for sponsorship of his [#27 Ford] NASCAR vehicle for various races. Check out the auctions at: ebay.com #5953201975, thru Feb-11-05.AND #27-Kirk Shelmerdine would like to welcome Wabash Motorsports of Fairfield, Illinois, and; JCMECI of Newark, DE as associate sponsors for the 2005 Speed Weeks at Daytona. Founded in 1990 by James C. McCulley IV, JCMECI Environmental Consultants, Inc., of Newark, DE, provides high quality environmental consulting for Delaware and the tri-state area. This encompasses all types of environmental consulting, such as; investigations, audits, wetlands permits, and underground storage unit removal. More info on JCMECI, see www.JCMECI.com.(Kirk Shelmerdine Racing PR)
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Preview: Jimmie Johnson
Goals have changed, but the ultimate prize remains Cup title
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
HARRISBURG, N.C. -- Despite having run just three full seasons of Cup Series competition, Jimmie Johnson has practically done it all: led the series in victories, swept the season at a track (well, four tracks, actually), won four consecutive races, led more than 500 miles in a single event, sat on the pole for the Daytona 500.
The list goes on and on.
But there's still plenty left on the docket. He's not yet won a certain February race in Florida, nor dined at the head table at a certain Christmastime function in Manhattan.
Rest assured, the Daytona 500 and the Nextel Cup championship both rank high on Johnson's professional agenda. And for the record, the past three points champions -- Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart -- won the Cup in their fourth seasons.
"To be second two years in a row -- we really, really want a championship," Johnson said. "From growing up around the sport, watching it, and working in it -- it's not something you sign up for and get. We understand how hard that is."
It'll be harder this year than ever. Teams have learned how best to attack the Chase, and the racecars are completely different aerodynamically in 2005, so strategies will change.
"Last year was a very special year for us," Johnson said. "To win eight [races], overcome the tragedy of the airplane [crash], and win four [races] in the final 10 -- that's going to tough to beat. A championship will beat that.
"We're always moving our goals. I'd love to win a plate race, especially the Daytona 500. I'd love to win at Bristol. Last year I said I want to win at Darlington and Martinsville. Those were my two tracks that were the most demanding on me and I struggled. We were able to win at both of them.
"So, I've now set some new goals with a plate race and Bristol. Hopefully we're able to do that. If this year is a championship year for us -- we feel like we're ready for it -- we'll definitely be smiling ear to ear in New York when it's all said and done.
"But that's so far from now and it's going to be an entirely new year with the rules changes and everything."
Teams tested the shorter spoiler/softer tire package last week at Las Vegas and California, and Johnson was dialed in at both venues, so he's quite confident this could be a special season. Johnson said the cars drive much differently than they did last year, with more movement and looser handling tendencies.
"There is a lot of movement in the car, but I think with my background and driving style, it's not going to hurt me as much as some of the other guys," Johnson said.
"With the rules changes, it's going to really mix things up. The first six-to-eight races on the intermediate tracks, it's going to be hard to know who's going to be up front. There will be an opportunity to have multiple winners. Different winners."
Johnson and Kasey Kahne conducted a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway prior to Preseason Thunder, so they have a few more laps of experience with the new package than do their competitors.
"It's a totally different animal," Johnson said. "It's going to be very interesting. A quarter of the way through the season, you'll start to see the usual suspects rise to the top. But in the beginning I think it's going to be a mixed bag. It's going to be a real interesting start to the season.
"It's going to be a very exciting year. We probably won't know who the champion will be until the final race, like last year."
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ONE MORE SHOT Speedweeks 2005 will be a busy one for Martin
Mark Martin certainly isn’t easing into his retirement.
Starting Wednesday he'll begin practice for the Feb. 18 Crown Royal IROC Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Martin, who will be looking for a record-breaking fifth IROC championship, needs one more victory to break a tie for the most wins in the series.
He won the last IROC race he took part in at Daytona in 2003.
Then on Friday he’ll climb into his Cup car and practice for the Budweiser Shootout. The annual non-points race kicks off the competitive events of Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.
In 1981 Martin became the first rookie to ever qualify for the Shootout after winning his first career Cup pole in only his third career start on July 11, 1981, at Nashville International Raceway.
Martin would finish eighth in the 1982 Shootout. After the 1982 event, he didn’t compete in the Shootout again until 1989. Since 1989 he has had 17 consecutive starts, the longest streak of any driver in Shootout history
All of those starts but one have been with one team, Roush Racing. Martin’s only Shootout not in the No. 6 Ford was his first, in 1982, the year he funded the effort out of his own pocket.
Fast Facts: Budweiser Shootout
Since 1979, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona – formerly named the Busch Clash and Bud Shootout – has annually jump-started the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series as the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. The non-points event is held annually one week prior to the Daytona 500.
Past Winners
The late Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with six victories in Bud Shootout events. Jarrett has three victories, and Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Ken Schrader and Neil Bonnett have two wins each.
Previous winners:
2004 -- Dale Jarrett
2003 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2002 -- Tony Stewart
2001 -- Tony Stewart
2000 -- Dale Jarrett
1999 -- Mark Martin
1998 -- Rusty Wallace
1997 -- Jeff Gordon
1996 -- Dale Jarrett
1995 -- Dale Earnhardt
1994 -- Jeff Gordon
1993 -- Dale Earnhardt
1992 -- Geoffrey Bodine
1991 -- Dale Earnhardt
1990 -- Ken Schrader
1989 -- Ken Schrader
1988 -- Dale Earnhardt
1987 -- Bill Elliott
1986 -- Dale Earnhardt
1985 -- Terry Labonte
1984 -- Neil Bonnett
1983 -- Neil Bonnett
1982 -- Bobby Allison
1981 -- Darrell Waltrip
1980 -- Dale Earnhardt
1979 -- Buddy Baker
MONEY TO WIN: Over the course of 12 starts, Dale Earnhardt won a grand total of $600,222, the most of any driver. But that will most likely change this year. Just by starting the 2005 event, Dale Jarrett will surpass Earnhardt in total Shootout earnings, as he sits in a close second with $580,159 career Shootout earnings.
Top career money-winners in the Budweiser Shootout:
1. Dale Earnhardt, $600,222
2. Dale Jarrett, $580,159
3. Ken Schrader, $533,377
4. Tony Stewart, $524,377
5. Jeff Gordon, $516,677
Last season, Martin had his best finish since winning the event in '99, with a fourth-place run in the Shootout. In 2003, he finished 17th after a late gamble failed to pay off for the No. 6 Kraft car. He finished 12th three years ago and eighth in 2001.
For the fourth year in a row the team will run a special Kraft Foods paint scheme in the Shootout. The event is once again slated as a nighttime event, set for Feb. 12, 2005.
"The Shootout is always a fun event," said Martin. "We'll be driving the Oscar Mayer/Team Kraft car again this year and it's always fun for the fans to run different paint schemes and stuff.
"As for the race you just never know in the Shootout. Basically you go out and look to win an event like the Shootout.
Last year we gambled a bit to get up front and in the end it didn't pay off. But the bottom line is that second place is no better than 17th or 18th in the Shootout, so it's not uncommon to see teams go for it all.
This year we are going to go out and try and win it again like we did in '99. Hopefully we can have those type of results. You just never know in that race."
For Martin, this Saturday night’s event will most likely be his last. The Shootout will begin the 2005 season, his final year as a full time competitor. A season that Martin calls his “Salute To You” tour. Martin will take time over the 36-race season to thank fans, fellow drivers and the media.
After the Shootout, Martin will practice for the Daytona 500, try to qualify for the pole Sunday and run in one of the Gatorade Duel 150s on Feb. 17.
"We are really excited about getting this season started,” said Martin.
“Pat Tryson and all the guys on this Viagra Team have worked very hard over the last couple of months to get us ready for this and it's going to be great to get the season started up. We've had a great month of testing and we just can't wait to get it going.
We have a lot of racing to do over Speedweeks with the Shootout, the IROC race, the Gatorade 150's and the 500 and I'd like nothing better than to kick off the "Salute To You" tour with some strong runs and maybe a couple of wins in there.
"We've got a great race team in place. A lot of these guys passed on some good opportunities to come back and make one more run with me and I don't plan on letting these guys down. Our plan is to come out strong and that all starts with Speedweeks here at Daytona."
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Scott's legacy lives on four decades after win
Wendell Scott is the only black to win a Grand National race
By Ron Lemasters Jr., Special to NASCAR.COM
This is the first in a three-part series, chronicling the 1960-70s, 1980-90s and today. Parts 2 and 3 will post Feb. 14 and 21.
Among all the trophies Wendell Scott won in his racing career, there is one that will forever be his legacy to the sport he loved.
It isn't much to look at, just some off-color wood with no plaque or varnish or glitzy, gimmicky metalwork. It pales in comparison to the gleaming, brightly polished trophies is sits among.
But that piece of wood, battered and beaten and sorry compared to the others, is the symbol of Scott's greatest day as a racing driver. It was Dec. 1, 1963, the day he won a NASCAR Grand National event in Jacksonville, Fla. Scott remains to this day the only black driver to have won a Grand National (now Nextel Cup) Series event in NASCAR's 58-year history.
During the 42 years since Scott earned his victory -- which, given the times and the area in which it occurred was not celebrated as victories always have been, in Victory Lane with a trophy queen and photographers -- no black driver has even been close to accomplishing the same feat.
Randy Bethea shocked the NASCAR world in 1973 by knocking Darrell Waltrip off the pole at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, but that was in a Late Model Sportsman event, not Grand National. Willy T. Ribbs, one of the finest road racers in the world, tried out a stock car at Daytona but never qualified for the 500.
That's pretty much been it, in terms of black names in Cup racing on the driving side since Scott won at Jacksonville in 1963. Bill Lester has driven in Craftsman Truck races since 2000.
Scott, who died in 1990, was from Danville, Va., just inside the state line from North Carolina. It was an area rich in history for stock car racers, and also an area where it was not unheard of to run illegal whiskey from town to town in souped-up cars.
Scott was a taxi driver who graduated to running moonshine and eventually to racing stock cars. For any of those jobs, one had to be a master mechanic and a pretty nifty driver. In 1959, at the age of 38, Scott won the Virginia State Sportsman championship. Two years later, Scott was able to field a car for the Grand National Series. In nearly 500 Grand National races, he was in the top 10 an amazing 147 times.
Competing nose-to-nose with legends
Considering what Scott had to go through to compete in those Grand National races, it is even more amazing. The South in the early 1960s was still in the grips of Jim Crow, Bull Conner and the sort of segregation that we today know only through history books. Even on the day he won in Jacksonville, the pervasive attitude of Southern society at the time prevented him from receiving his due. "Everybody in the place knew I had won the race," he said years later, "but the promoters and NASCAR officials didn't want me out there kissing any beauty queens or accepting any awards."
Despite racing on a budget that made shoestrings seem expensive, Scott made it work. In 1966, he was a career-best sixth in the points. Through it all, he held his own and competed nose-to-nose with many of the legends whose achievements the present-day NASCAR is built upon.
His driving career ended for all intents and purposes in 1973, when he sustained three cracked ribs, a lacerated arm and a cracked pelvis in a massive 21-car pileup at Talladega Superspeedway. Ramo Stott's blown engine nine laps into the race that day caused the crash, and Scott's Mercury was credited with 55th place (out of 60 starters).
He died Dec. 22, 1990, after a long battle with spinal cancer, some 27 years and 21 days after the biggest victory of his career. He was later elected to the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, located, ironically, in Talladega, Ala.
"I'm so glad we never gave up," said Scott's widow Mary. "When Ned Jarrett and all of those old drivers came to Scott's funeral, they told us he had the respect of all the drivers. I'd say all of those older guys learned to like him and respect him. They knew he was a genuine person and he stood for what he believed. He didn't give up."
Scott's son, Franklin, said that his father had earned his respect by competing with the best in the business and never giving an inch despite the fact that he was at a huge disadvantage in both finances and resources. As his father's crew chief, Franklin didn't get to see his dad win at Jacksonville, having stayed behind to play in a high school football game that weekend.
"I'll never forget it," Franklin Scott said. "I was playing football that weekend and I was home and got on the bus and a guy on the bus, a friend of mine who was a real joker, said, 'Your dad won a race today.' I said, 'Yeah, sure.' And he said, 'No, your old man won today.' I still didn't believe him."
Wendell had won the race, by two laps over Buck Baker, but NASCAR waved the checkered flag over Baker and awarded him the trophy. Hours later, NASCAR officials told him he really did win the race. "My dad went off then," Franklin Scott said. "He said, 'Give me my damn money.' Buck got the real trophy. The thing we got was junk. They gave us a trophy about a month later at Savannah. But it wasn't the real thing."
While it didn't make much sense to Franklin at the time, it did later. It was racism, pure and simple. "I guess it all was just a sign of the times." he said. "The opportunity for a black man to race just wasn't there. He overcame many hurdles and he never let it faze him to the point where it made him hostile. I don't know how he was able to do that. It was difficult for me when I would see a lot of the things I wouldn't understand why my daddy didn't put them in the wall. I thought he was afraid. He wasn't afraid ... he was thinking about the next race."
While there were many similar incidents over the years, one stands out to Franklin. In 1962, Jack Smith watched Wendell shatter his track record at Savannah, Ga., in a car Scott bought from Jarrett. Smith marched over to Scott's pit and told him that he would drive right through Scott's car that night in the race. Scott finished second to Jarrett that night, and though Smith didn't apologize to Scott, Joe Weatherly did. "Joe Weatherly came to our pits after the race," Franklin remembered. "He said, 'Wendell, I just came to apologize for the rest of the stupid SOBs.' "
According to Franklin Scott, Smith kept at it until one day Wendell had enough. "He [Smith] had wrecked us up at Winston-Salem and my daddy had had it with him," Franklin recalled. "On the pace lap he pulled up beside Daddy and started pointing his finger at him. We didn't know it but Daddy had his gun with him and he pulled it out and pointed the gun back. We never had trouble with Jack again."
It is hard to imagine something like that happening today. Because of men like Wendell Scott and Randy Bethea, black drivers are getting a chance to prove themselves in the arena of competition. NASCAR and corporate America have awakened to the fact that there are more Wendell Scotts out there, and they are bound and determined to find them.
NASCAR's interest in black drivers growing
Just this year, four black drivers are involved in development programs at some of NASCAR's top teams:
Bethea's story is similar to Scott's, although he was still racing as late as 2003. The now-56-year-old Bethea attended a race with an older brother and was hooked, and soon began to work toward racing as a career. In 1967, he bought his first stock car. Three years later, he was the Tennessee State Champion.
''I was fortunate to grow up exposed to the sport,'' Bethea, who used to watch drivers like Ralph Earnhardt race at Asheville, told Nashville columnist Larry Woody in 2003. ''But a lot of minority kids don't have that same opportunity. They don't have connections to racing. I'm glad to see NASCAR taking an interest in them, and I'd be willing to assist anyone working with a minority team.''
Henderson, who as a youngster was taken to the Fairgrounds track by his father, hopes to race professionally some day. Can he make it?
''He won't know unless he tries,'' Bethea said. ''You've got to get out there and try to do it. That's the only way to find out.''
That's how Bethea did it, and how Scott first crossed the race barrier in NASCAR racing. All of the gains made in recent years can be traced to a single date: Dec. 1, 1963 -- when Wendell Scott won the biggest race of his life.
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NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK| BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT PRACTICE | 4 p.m. Friday | Speed Channel |
| FINAL BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT PRACTICE | 6:30 p.m. Friday | Speed Channel |
| NEXTEL CUP PRACTICE | 10:30 a.m. Saturday | Speed Channel |
| NEXTEL CUP PRACTICE | 1:30 p.m. Saturday | Speed Channel |
| BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT | 8 p.m. Saturday | FX |
| NEXTEL CUP QUALIFYING | 1 p.m. Sunday | Fox |
| All times Eastern. Times and stations subject to change. |
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Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your
Momma "Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt
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